Citizenship News
The Supreme Court has ordered the continuation of the trial of former Jigawa state governor, Alhaji Sule Lamido and his two sons, Mustapha and Aminu Lamido.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is prosecuting the defendants on a 37-count amended charge of alleged corruption, money laundering and abuse of office to the tune of ₦1.35 billion.
The Apex court has in the judgement, Friday, voided and set aside the court of appeal judgement which had July 2023, set the former governor free.
The Supreme court had in
a unanimous decision of 5-man panel of Justices held that the appeal by EFCC against the Court of Appeal verdict was meritorious and sustained.
The judgement read by Justice Abubakar Sadiq Umar ordered that Lamido and his two sons should go back to the Federal High Court and defend themselves from the EFCC allegations.
Lamido, his sons, Aminu Wada Abubakar, and their companies Bamaina Holdings Limited and Speeds International Limited were arraigned before Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu of the Federal High Court, Abuja, on a 37-count amended charge, including money laundering and abuse of office.
The EFCC alleged that Lamido, who governed Jigawa from 2007 to 2015, laundered ₦1.35 billion in kickbacks from contractors handling state government projects.
At the completion of the EFCC case, Lamido and other defendants filed a no case submission on the ground that no prima facie case was established against them.
The Federal High Court in a ruling dismissed the no case submission and held that sufficient evidence had been supplied by EFCC that required them to enter defense.
The former governor took the case to the Court of Appeal which in July 2023 disagreed with the Federal High Court and dismissed the charges against the defendants.
Not satisfied with the Court of Appeal’s decision, the EFCC filed an appeal at the Supreme Court praying the Apex Court to uphold the ruling of the Federal High Court and remit the matter to the court for continuation of trial.
EFCC submitted that the Court of Appeal erred in law by discharging the defendants despite the avalanches of evidence establishing a prima facie case against the former governor and his sons.
The Supreme Court in Friday’s judgment ordered that the charges against the defendants be resuscitated by EFCC for the Lamidos to enter their defense in the corruption charges.
